Christ Presbyterian Academy girls rally, will play for a second straight state title

Faith LeGate scored 21 points and had nine rebounds as Christ Presbyterian Academy rallied for a 51-47 victory over Elizabethton in a Class AA semifinal Friday at the TSSAA girls basketball championship.

The Lions are now one win away from a second consecutive state championship. They face Macon County at 6 p.m. Saturday for the title.

CPA (29-7) scored 14 of the game’s final 19 points and went ahead on LeGate’s jumper with 2:47 to play. Before that, the Lions’ last lead was at 12-10 with 1:02 to play in the first quarter.

Meredith Roman made four free throws in the final 20 seconds to ensure Elizabethton (29-5), which led by as many as 12, would not answer. Roman finished with 16 points and a game-high four assists.

Lauren Thompson had 12 points, 16 rebounds and four blocked shots for CPA, which had 13 assists on 19 field goals. Ten of her points came in the second half, eight in the final quarter when the Lions scored 21 points.

LeGate made seven of the their 10 first-half field goals and scored 14 of their 21 first-half points. She made just three second-half baskets. The last of those was the one that put her team ahead for good.